CONDITIONS FOR PROFIT FROM THE COMMERCIAL USE OF THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE, THE BEAUFORT SEA, AND THE ARCTIC OCEAN

If an oil carrier can make only two trips a year between North Alaska and the east coast of the United States by the northern route, oil might be stockpiled during the short season of relatively open ice, e.g. at Resolute or Thule. The problem should be treated at source however with an attempt to melt the permanent pack ice of the Arctic Ocean and Beaufort Sea. The air-bubbling technique and the Bering Strait dam are considered, but the spreading of dark heat-absorbing particles over the ice is preferable. A trial could be made in limited areas during a few years, and if results warrant, it could be continued on a larger scale until the polar sea is opened.